


Written on his Skin

by Thirsty4TheExtraordinary



Category: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (TV)
Genre: Agression, Angst, Bullying, F/M, Fluff, Imprisonment, Smut, Wrongful Imprisonment, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:07:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28978635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thirsty4TheExtraordinary/pseuds/Thirsty4TheExtraordinary
Summary: Y/N meets Vinculus in a not so perfect setting. She had always had a difficult life but she had never respected the strange events of her life to lead her here. But from angst comes love. This is slow burn fic. Smut in later chapters. Vinculus X Reader.
Relationships: Vinculus/Female Original Character, Vinculus/Female Reader, Vinculus/reader
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

When you woke, the first thing you were aware of was how cold it was. Your clothes were wet and your head pounded painfully. You opened your eyes and looked around to find you were inside a very small room, no larger than a wardrobe. There was a heavy wooden door straight in front of you, with a barred window, two-thirds of the way up it. As you struggled to your feet, your head spun and you place a hand on the cold stone wall for support. Your vision stabilized and you looked out through the window.

Your cell looked out onto a large hall. At the far end stood three men, for the posture it was clear to tell that the man with his back to your was in charge of the other two. A sweet-looking man with dark hair and wide eyes glanced over to your with an apologetic look. Before he turned back to the other men whispering furiously in words you could not here. You glanced around the room, a set of large windows sat on the left side of the hall and outside a storm raged. Opposite was a fireplace, within it a fire crackled wildly. Furniture lay strewn across the room as though some wild force had raged through the room, the corners of the furniture was scorched in places as it lay haphazardly around the room. As your eye took in the scene the events of tonight returned to you. It was by chance that you were here and yet it felt as though you were always destined to be here. Locked in this cell looking out through the bars at the group of men, huddled together whispering about you.

“I do not think she is a fairy, she does not seem like the other,” said the man with the wide eyes. Segundus, that was his name John Segundus.

“Mr Segundus is the furniture not strewn around this house. Having been whipped up by the very fire itself. Neither you nor Mr Honeywood here are capable of such magic and I have no need or desire to cause such destruction. She is a fairy sir. The prophecy of Vinculus foretold it” the dominant man said, he had dark hair and dark eyes. Childermass, you were sure that’s what the others had called him.

“Mr Honeywood, go and fetch Vinculus, he is at the tavern. He understands things we do not” said Segundus.

Soon the shorter man was leaving, he glanced at you as he passed by the cell on his way to the front door. He braced himself as he opened the door, pushing his hat a little tighter onto his head before he hurried out into the night. The door slamming shut behind him. The other two turned their attention to you and you diverted your gaze. What terrible luck had followed you here, you wondered what they would do with you. With a need to leave their scrutinizing gaze, you sat back down on the floor. Your damp skirts pooling around you. A sigh escaped your lips and you lay your head back against the cold stone wall.

* * *

*Two hours earlier*

“Cursed she is, I heard the orphanage she grew up in burnt to the ground” whispered a woman as you passed by, the market was always busy and usually you went unnoticed but perhaps it was time to move on again. For a long time, you put the tragedies that happened around you down to coincidence. But soon they became too much to ignore. Your orphanage burnt down when you were six, it seemed the fire had sprung from nowhere. Then you had gained a job as a servant in a small household and there the master’s robes had set aflame. Disaster after disaster seemed to befall you until you were forced to move away from London. Nowadays you didn’t stay in one place for too long as the stares of strangers were too much to take. And it seemed it had happened again, shops had begun to refuse to serve you in an attempt to stop your curse passing to them.

You hurried through the market, the small number of coins you had managed to steal, beg and borrow clutched tightly in hand.

“Maybe that’s why her hair is white, the curse made her go grey,” said another voice as you hurried through the crowds. Mothers pulled their children out of your path as though you were a leper.

You needed to leave, and though you did not like to travel at night you had found long ago it was better that way. You packed up everything you could into the saddlebags of you faithful horse. As soon as the sun had finally disappeared below the horizon you took off, leaving nothing behind. Nothing to show you have ever been there.

A storm caught you as you rode out to a destination as yet unknown. The wind and rain battered you as you lowered your head and trotted onwards. Thunder rumbled above and you horse began to stir.

“Shh, keep calm my friend” you spoke as you stroked the stallion’s grey mane.

Lightning cracked, lighting up the sky in a flash of pure white, striking a tree 10 feet in front of you. Your horse reared wildly and though you tried to hold, on you slipped from his back and landed heavily. Your head collided harshly with the stone road below. Your horse took off into the night, as you crawled onto your hands and knees. You could feel the warmth of blood trickling down your face from the crown of your head but paid it no mind as you struggled to your feet. Thunder crashed again and in the distance, you saw the light of a house shining through the dark. On unstable feet, in much distress, you stumbled towards the light.

You reached the house, you hard resting on the stone wall of its perimeter. The lights were on inside and you prayed the people were kind. The garden was a little overgrown giving the enormous house an eerie feel but you had no options left and so you headed for the door. No sooner had you knocked had a man pulled the door open. He was lean with shoulder-length dark hair and wide kind eyes.

“My lady, however, may I help you,” he asked and you smiled at the kindness, it had been a while since someone had been so polite to you.

“Please sir, may I take refuge in your home. My horse has bolted, I have knocked my head and I am soaked to the bone” you explained and the man looked you over kindly.

“Of course my lady, please come in. Warm yourself by the fire” he said as he opened the door wider and ushered you inside. It was a huge room inside, a fireplace with a crackling fire faced you as you entered and you hurried over to it. It’s warmth so very inviting.

You pulled your overcoat off and hung it on a coat stand beside the fire.

“My name is John Segundus,” said the man as he took a seat in one of the large leather chairs beside the fire, as you stood warming yourself in its light.

“I am Y/N Friday” you replied and Segundus raised a brow.

“You are an orphan” he inquired and you simply nodded your head, you were used to the question by now, your surname made your circumstances obvious.

“Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Friday” he replied, again you smiled.

“Your kindness is much-appreciated sir, I have not had a good night” you sighed and Mr Segundus nodded his head.

“I can see that, Miss,” he said.

“I will go and get some supplies so I can tend to that head wound of yours,” he said as he stood from his seat.

“Oh I do not wish to inconvenience you” you replied but Mr Segundus shook his head and hurried away.

When he returned he sat you in a chair as he tended to your wound. Your dress was still damp but you had warmed a little from the fire. It was quiet as he tended to you but the stairs creaked and you glanced up to see a man standing on the stairs looking over at you.

“Hair as white as snow” he whispered to himself as though he had just had some kind of revelation.

“Ahh Mr Childermass, This is Miss Y/N Friday. She has come to shelter from the storm” said Segundus as he glanced to greet the other man.

Childermass was an imposing man with long dark hair tied into a messy ponytail at the back of his head, stubble covered his jaw and lip and his dark eyes scrutinised you as he approached.

“Step away from her Segundus” Childermass demanded but Segundus frowned.

“Whatever is that matter sir,” Segundus asked, as Childermass strode towards the pair of you.

“Do not think you can fool us fairy, you are not as clever as you may think. We were warned of your arrival” Childermass hissed at you, his black eyes darting across your form.

“I do not know what it is you speak of sir, my horse bolted because of the lightning. I simply come seeking refuge. I shall leave as soon as the storm has passed but please don’t throw me back into the rain” you begged your head was still fuzzy and you were sure you would freeze in the cold.

“Throw you out. I said I am no fool fairy. You are not going anywhere. Throw her in the cells!” Childermass shouted.

“Mr Childermass, the lady is hurt. You cannot be serious!” Segundus cried but Childermass was no longer listening. He had reached forward and snatched you by the wrist and had brought you quickly to your feet.

“Please, sir you are hurting me!” You cried out trying to pull your arm from his tight grip, but your fighting was hopeless and with little effort, be began to drag you across the room.

“Childermass, I really must protest!” Segundus shouted trying to block the way but Childermass simply sidestepped him.

“Sir stop, please” you tried again but the dark-haired man paid your pleading no mind. Still, he continued to drag you across the room toward a cell at the far end of the hall.

Panic began to fill your mind, you had no idea what this man planned to do with you nor what he was capable of. The nearer you got to the cell the more you struggled against his ever-tightening grip.

“Stop!” you screamed.

Suddenly the fire exploded in a crash of noise and flame. The furniture was flung across the room as a great flame sprung forward from the fireplace like a hand snatching out toward you. The wave of heat had flowed passed you with such forced Childermass had released you from his grasp, but the sudden loss of the pressure you had been fighting so desperately caused you to tumble backwards, your hand grabbing out hopeless before you head collided heavily with the foot of the stone fireplace and your vision turned black. With your memories returned you looked around the cell again, they must have thrown you in here after you had been knocked out. You did not know what to do or say, but you were sure for the first time in your life, you could not run from this.

* * *

With your memories returned you looked around the cell again, they must have thrown you in here after you had been knocked out. You did not know what to do or say, but you were sure for the first time in your life, you could not run from this.


	2. Chapter 2

You were woken from a half-sleep as you heard the front door open, sometime later. You scrambled to your feet hoping beyond hope that someone had come to free you. Mr Honeyfoot the man who had been sent away hurried in from the storm first, followed by another. This man was unlike the others in the room, he was no gentleman. No, he was dressed in ragged clothes that hung from his slender frame, a crooked hat sat on top of a mat of brown hair. A rough bread covered his face and as he moved into the light you could see his shirt was a little undone, there you could see his skin underneath. Covered in lines and lines of writing. Finally, the newcomer looked up at you. Your breath caught in your throat as you eyes met his, they were bluer than the very sky itself and so very beautiful. He smiled, and his handsomeness struck you. 

“Hello,” he purred a London accent, licking at the corners of his words.

“Hello” you replied. He approached the cell and you took in a breath, a strange feeling of familiarity overtook you as you stared into his eyes. A connection you could not understand, as though he were a magnet and you, a lump of metal.

“Are you my fairy?” he asked and you frowned.

“I do not know, of what you speak sir” you replied and he smiled.

“Of course not, you’re not supposed to. Not yet anyway” he said and again you frowned.

“Let me get this lock for you so that we may become more acquainted,” said the man and you frowned. He seemed to pull a key from thin air before he unlocked the cell and pulled the door open.

“Vinculus, I do not think that is wise” Childermass warned as he stepped towards you again. Fearing he may grab you again you took a step back into the cell.

“Do not mind him, my lady, come.” said the newcomer as he held a hand out to you.

Cautiously you took his hand and he led you out of the cell. As soon as your skin connected with his, a shock wave jumped from him to you and back. You looked at him, panicked and he grinned wildly.

“Yes, yes” he nodded to himself as though the experience had been totally normal and completely expected.

“A woman of fairy blood shall arrive on the night when the sky is filled with light and noise. Her hair will be as white as snow. She will wield powerful magic beyond her knowledge. She will set the sky ablaze.” Vinculus recited as though this were some well-known verse, as he sat you back in the chair Childermass had dragged you from not so long ago.

“My name is Vinculus, my lady what is yours,” he asked bowing in an exaggerated move.

“Y/N Friday, sir. Now please tell me what is going on here. I came looking only for refuge, and I was thrown in a cell” you asked, staring around at the four men, that now stood staring down at you.

“Well, they are magicians and me… well, I’m something a little different,” said Vinculus and you blinked at him. What on earth did that mean?

“And, pray tell what all of this has to do with me being thrown into a cell,” you asked and Vinculus smiled.

“Well they had this prophecy from the Raven King himself, you’ve heard of him right?” Vinculus questioned.

“Only very recently” you replied and Vinculus nodded.

“Well, his prophecy is what I told you just now. ‘A woman of fairy blood shall arrive on the night when the sky is filled with light and noise. Her hair will be as white as snow. She will wield powerful magic beyond her knowledge. She will set the sky ablaze.’” Vinculus said and you blinked.

“And you think that woman is me?” you questioned.

“Well, your hair is white as snow,” said Childermass with an accusing tone.

“A night filled with light and noise does seem to suggest a storm such as this,” said Mr Honeyfoot and you blinked again.

“Of fairy blood, I do not know what this means,” you said looking around at them all again. With you seated and the four men stood, this all seemed rather intimidating.

“It means you are a fairy” accused Childermass and again you sat back in your chair.

“I don’t know what that means,” you said.

“That is not entirely true, Childermass, it means that she has fairy blood perhaps her mother or father was a fairy,” said Segundus and Childermass shot him a warning glance.

“Ahh, that could be it. What was your father like? Did he have wild eyes or an intense aura?” exclaimed Vinculus, as though he were growing excited.

“I do not know anything about my parents. I am a foundling. My surname was given for the day on which I was left of the doorstep of the orphanage.” you explained you weren’t sure why you were telling them all this but you felt as though you could trust Vinculus.

“She will wield powerful magic beyond her knowledge. Perhaps that is why. As a foundling she would have no knowledge of her power” said Segundus looking at you with his wide eyes again.

“Ha Ha. I did not expect you to be so beautiful” said Vinculus and you couldn’t help but smile at the compliment, you did not get them very often.

“Shh your noise, all of you. You forget the end of the prophecy. She will set the sky ablaze! This woman has come to destroy us!” Childermass hissed.

“I assure you, sir, I mean you no harm I have come only seeking refuge from the storm,” you explained again.

“Why were you out in a storm, were you running from something?” Childermass demanded and you sat back a little straighter, frightened he may strike you. 

"I was leaving, yes. Bad things happen around me. I am cursed. I leave when the people of the town begin to notice before anyone gets hurt” you said looking utterly ashamed.

“What kind of things?” Vinculus asked with a kind voice.

“When I was a child my orphanage burnt down, the fire seemed to come from nowhere. No one was hurt but me. Then when I gained my first job as a maid, the master’s robes set ablaze from nothing. Most recently the baker’s pies were all filled with worms after he insulted me. They say I am a witch but I do not know how these things happen. I don’t stay in one place too long” you said and for the first time since you had met him, Childermass’ face softened.

“There is a spell we can do to show your past and prove you are the one the prophecy speaks of,” said Childermass before he strode across the room and snatched up a hand mirror. He placed it in your hand before he hurried away again. He returned with a small pot of strange-looking powder. He placed a pile in the palm of his hand and blew it across your face and the mirror. You shut your eyes in protest, but as you felt the men around you move to look over your shoulder you opened your eyes again. The mirror no longer showed your reflection at all, but instead, a woman stood with a man. It was as though the mirror showed a view that was impossible to see, as though you were looking down on a street. The people below obvious to the eyes watching them from above. 

The man had long white hair and piercing blue eyes, his features were sharp but he was not unattractive. You knew this man, you had seen him in your dreams before, how was this possible? The woman had long auburn hair, she wore a very ornate dress and bright blue jewel hung around her neck, unconsciously your hand moved to the identical one around your own neck. The only thing that had been left with you at the orphanage.

“He’s a fairy,” said Segundus and you glanced back at him before turning back to the mirror. Half wondering if this was all some fantastical dream and in reality, you were still laying on the road. You watched the story of how the woman and the fairy fell in love, but then the fairy left when the woman announced her pregnancy. She was heartbroken and the left destitute, as her family had abandoned her. When the time for the birth came, she gave birth in an alleyway, alone and scared. She carried the baby to the doorway of an orphanage. An orphanage you very much recognised and then she left, she died a few hours later from blood loss in the doorway of a church. The baby was found by the matron of the orphanage, a shock of white hair poking out from the top of the blanket. The image on the mirror faded and you looked up at the men surrounding you.

“What does this mean?” you asked still unsure of what it was you had just witnessed.

“You are the product of a fairy and human pairing it would seem,” said Childermass and you gaped.

“I’ve gone mad” you whispered to yourself. This must all be some wild hallucination.

“Not yet,” said Vinculus as he reached out and took the mirror from your grasp.

“This cannot be real sir” you shook your head at him.

“You were willing to believe you were cursed, Miss Friday. Why not this?” Segundus asked and you sighed.

“I don’t, …. I just cannot… I” you stuttered with a shake of your head.

“Fairy magic is raw and often manipulated by their emotions. When you were young and your orphanage burnt down were you angry or scared?” Vinculus asked sitting down in the chair opposite your own. He leant forward, his arms resting on his knees.

“I don’t know, I suppose I was frightened. I had stolen some extra bread and hidden in my dorm to eat it. The matron knew where I was, she was going to beat me. She was knocking on the door, and I shut my eyes, and when I opened them the door was alight.” you said looking around. You tried to judge the reactions of the men around you but you couldn’t tell.

“Your magic was protecting you,” said Segundus finally and you blinked.

“What about the other times?” you questioned. You were far from believing their words but you had to admit you were rather intrigued by the idea that you were not in fact cursed.

“Well if you were experiencing any strong emotion, it could have caused your latent power to spring to your defence,” said Segundus, his bright eyes did little to hide his excitement.

“If you are right and I am not saying you are, could I learn to control this or preferably get rid of it,” you asked hopefully.

“Get rid of it? Why would you want to do that!” Vinculus exclaimed his beautiful blue eyes growing wide.

“It has caused me nothing but grief, sir” you sighed. Vinculus simply looked confused at the notion.

“I’m afraid it is a part of you, you cannot be rid of it,” said Segundus and you nodded. A shiver shook through your body and Mr Segundus frowned.

“I think we have talked enough for tonight, Miss Friday is frozen to her core,” said Mr Honeyfoot suddenly.

“You are right. If Mr Childermass has no argument. I can show you to a room where you can spend the night, it seems this storm will not be passing anytime soon” said Mr Segundus. Childermass only grunted so Mr Segundus held out his arm to you. You took it and soon he was leading you off through the house. In silence he led you to a room upstairs, he pushed the door open and ushered you to enter.

“There are clothes in the wardrobe if you wish to change. I hope Childermass has not frightened you much, I can assure you we mean you no harm. If you need anything we will be in the living room” said Segundus and you smiled.

“Thank Mr Segundus, I appreciate your kindness,” you said before he left you, shutting the door behind him. You were surprised when you did not hear the click of the lock as he left. You changed quickly into a dress from the cupboard and brushed your damp hair. You sat on the bed and looked around the room. Your mind filled with ten thousand thoughts. You did not know what to believe but with a life such as yours, magic was not such a crazy idea.

“Fairy” you whispered to yourself quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

You crawled into bed and blew out the candle beside the bed. It had been some time since you had slept in a bed this comfortable and you very much relished the experience.

That night you dreamt of the blonde man again, was he your father as the magicians told you or was this all some awful trick?

The man led you through a forest and into a clearing where he disappeared in a flutter of light. Someone was waiting though. At the other end of the clearing stood a figure, he stepped forward into the light and you could see it was the man you had met earlier. Vinculus smiled brightly at you as you approached him. He was shirtless and his trousers hung low on his narrow hips. His body was covered in tattoos, lines and lines of words you did not understand.

“A woman of fairy blood shall arrive on the night when the sky is filled with light and noise. Her hair will be as white as snow. She will wield powerful magic beyond her knowledge. She will set the sky ablaze.” Vinculus recited tracing his finger along a line of words trailing across his chest and you frowned.

“I do not understand, how would I do such a thing? Why would I do such a thing?” you asked and Vinculus smiled again.

“Why must you all assume it is a bad thing?” Vinculus questioned and again you frowned.

When you woke you were confused as to where you were. Your mouth was dry and you sat up in the darkness. The house was quiet and you wondered how long you had been asleep. There was no sign of light outside and the storm still raged angrily above. Slowly you pulled yourself out of bed and crept quietly to the door, in search of water. You opened the door and began down the stairs, the lights had all been extinguished but the fire still glowed warmly. A figure sat alone in front of the fire and you knew instantly that it was Vinculus. He glanced up as you approached.

“Hello,” he said and you smiled.

“Hello, you are not in bed,” you said and he grinned.

“Neither are you” he replied.

You sat in the chair opposite him and helped yourself to a glass of water from the jug that had been left on the table beside the chair.

“I had a dream about you” Vinculus suddenly said and you nearly choked on your water.

“You did?” you muttered and Vinculus chuckled at your embarrassment.

“Yeah, we were in this weird forest. You asked me about the prophecy” he said and again you swallowed hard.

“I think I had that dream too,” you said and Vinculus nodded.

“That makes sense I suppose,” he said and you blinked.

“You said you were something different, not a magician like the others and, yet you know so much,” you asked and much to your surprise Vinculus stood.

“Oh I did not mean to offend..” you began but suddenly Vinculus was stripping his top half of any clothes at all. You looked away in shock but when Vinculus began to chuckle you turned back to look at him. Just as in your dream his body was covered in writing. Unconsciously you reached out to touch him and Vinculus watched. Before you could touch him you seem to come to your senses and retract your hand. 

“Forgive me sir” you muttered as a blush filled your face.

“Nothing to forgive. You can touch my lady” he said and you shook your head in embarrassment.

“This is what I am, the book of the raven king himself,” Vinculus said. He pulled his shirt back on and sat back down his legs splayed lazily out in front of him. He told you about everything that had happened to him, how he had come to be, how he had been hung by a fairy but the Raven King had brought him back and rewritten him. Though his story was unbelievable you believed him completely.

“They cover all of me, you ever want some bedtime reading, I’m sure I can find you something,” Vinculus said with a wink and you giggled blushing brightly. 

“You really don’t want to be magical?” he asked suddenly the grin wiping from his face, and a serious look replacing it in an instance.

“No, I just want to be normal,” you said and Vinculus frowned

“Where’s the fun in that?” he chuckled but when you didn’t smile, Vinculus lost his own.

“It wouldn’t be so lonely. If all the things that have gone wrong in my life are down to magic than it is down to magic to that I am alone. That I cannot stay in any place for too long. That I will never be loved, never get married, never have children of my own. You may not appreciate such things sir, but it is all I have ever wanted” you said honestly.

For a moment Vinculus said nothing at all, he merely stared at you. His blue eyes boring into your very soul.

“I can understand that,” he said finally and you smiled weakly. 

“You’re not married then?” you asked, you weren’t sure why the question had come to you, and yet it had spilt over your lips.

“No, no. I don’t think any woman could have put up with all of this. Life as the living version of the Raven King’s book is hardly easy” Vinculus laughed dryly.

“No I don’t suppose it is.” you smiled.

“Right pair, we are” he laughed, settling into the chair a little more.

“I suppose we are, Mr…” your sentence faded as you realised you were unsure if his name was his surname or not.

“Just Vinculus. Books only have one name after all” he laughed and again you smiled. For a man of his standing, he was wonderfully charming. 

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your smile is?” said Vinculus and you blinked at him in surprise.

“You flatter me sir” you muttered and Vinculus chuckled.

“I certainly hope so” he replied.

“No one has ever called me beautiful” you replied timidly and Vinculus frowned.

“Surely not! No one?” he questioned.

“Not beautiful no, a man wanted me once but I did not want him, he was married” you sighed.

“Let me guess, the master whose robes you set alight?” Vinculus asked.

“He tried to force himself upon me” you muttered and Vinculus made a noise in the back of his throat close to a growl.

“Well you didn’t deserve that, but you do deserve to be told you are beautiful,” said Vinculus after a short pause, a grin springing to his face.

“Thank you, sir. You are rather handsome yourself” you said blushing heavily at your own words. Vinculus’ grin grew even larger.

A floorboard above creaked and you visibly cowered at the noise.

“No need to worry about them, Childermass is a bit harsh but he softens,” said Vinculus with a shrugged and you turned to him again.

“What are they going to do to me?” you asked worriedly.

“No doubt they will want to study you, but maybe you could get Childermass to teach you to control your magic. He’s been reading about fairy magic since his master went missing. I wasn’t the only book the Raven King left behind.” he explained, nodding his head towards a door in the corner of the room.

“You think he would do that, maybe if I can control it. I could have a normal life” you said and Vinculus smiled.

“Perhaps then you can get married,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows and you blushed again.

You stifled a yawn and Vinculus chuckled.

“You should go to bed,” he said and you nodded.

“Yes, I will. I very much enjoyed your company though” you said and Vinculus smiled. He stood when you did and you raise a brow in question.

“I enjoyed your company too,” he said before he took your hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. A shock wave passed from his lips to your hand and you smiled.

“What is that?” you asked and he grinned his blue eyes twinkling.

“It’s our magic, they like each other,” he said and you smiled. He released your hand and you turned away.

“Goodnight Vinculus”

“Goodnight beautiful Y/N”


	4. Chapter 4

The sun shone brightly the next morning, your dress had dried and you were able to redress in it. You were nervous about what today would bring but when you had made your way downstairs, you were wonderfully surprised. You were greeted with a warm breakfast of porridge and fresh blackberries. You sat at the table with all four men and made sure you sat as far away as possible from Mr Childermass. He was a rather intimidating form.

“I hope you slept well, Miss Friday,” asked Mr Segundus as you took a seat between him and Vinculus.

“Yes, thank you. I appreciate your hospitality greatly” you replied.

“Good, then you won’t mind staying here while Childermass trains you,” said Vinculus and you nearly choked on your breakfast. The handsome rogue grinned wildly at you and you turned to Mr Childermass.

“Vinculus has convinced me that to train you to control your magic is the most logical course of action. We will begin tomorrow,” said Childermass in a stern voice, giving you the distinct impression this decision was not up for debate.

“But sir I…” you began.

“This is not an offer, this is what is going to happen,” Childermass said not looking up from his own bowl.

He looked up finally and when he saw the worried look on your face, he shook his head in annoyance.

“You can read can’t you?” he said and you nodded quickly, words having deserted you.

“Good, then there is nothing to worry about,” he said turning his attention back to his porridge. A small smile crept onto your face. You knew you should not be happy here, but you had wanted a cure for this curse for so long you could not see a downside to this arrangement.

“Thank you,” you said quietly and Childermass glanced up and smiled softly at you.

“There is a horse on the front lawn!” exclaimed Mr Honeyfoot as he bustle into the room suddenly.

“Oh yes, I thought I was forgetting something,” said Vinculus springing to his feet suddenly.

“I found your horse, Y/N” he exclaimed rushing from the room. You followed after him quickly, picking up your skirts as you ran.

Vinculus had been right, there, standing on the front lawn of the house was your dapple grey stallion.  
“Soot!” you exclaimed rushing passed Vinculus to the only creature you have every truly called, friend. You looked over the horse but he seemed unharmed and even had your saddlebags still attached.

“Oh Vinculus, thank you for finding him” you exclaimed turning to the man standing in the doorway of the house.

“He found me really. When I was out this morning” he said and you wondered if Vinculus ever slept at all.

Mr Honeyfoot took Soot to the stables while you unpacked. Though it was not the circumstances you had wished for you did rather like the idea of your own room with a real bed, something you had not had for a very long time indeed. You heard feet approaching as you hung up the few dresses that you owned, into the overly large wardrobe.

“Settling in?” he asked and you turned quickly to see Vinculus leaning lazily against the doorframe.

“Yes, I suppose. It feels odd to have all this space to myself. I’ve not had a real bed in quite some time either” you said and Vinculus nodded.

“I know what that’s like. On the streets most of my life” he said quickly.

“Me too, people kept trying to buy Soot from me but I need him more than I needed a roof” you explained, you hadn’t had Soot long, a few months or so but you had managed to keep him feed and safe.

“That necklace, it was your mums wasn’t it?” asked Vinculus motioning with his hand towards the blue pendant hanging around your neck.

“Yes, I think so. It was left at the orphanage with me. I was told it was worthless, otherwise, I think it may have been stolen from me long ago” you explained. Vinculus pushed himself from the doorway and approached you. He reached out for the pendant taking it into his hands. You stifled a shiver as he drew closer to you.

“It’s fairy stone, worthless to the layman,” he said and you rose an eyebrow.

“But just as beautiful as it’s owner,” he said, you smirked at his compliment. Vinculus grinned and placed the pendant back against your collarbone gently.

“I’ll leave you to get settled. If you need anything just shout” he smiled before he left you to your unpacking.

With an odd feeling of contentment, you continued to pack away your meagre belongings. The rest of the day you spent your time observing the four men whom you now lived with. Mr Segundus was an excitable man with a strong moral compass, Mr Honeyfoot was like the father you never had, an easily worried man but more than willing to protect when he thought necessary. Childermass was a brooding man, who spent most of his time reading from the large collection of books he had managed to procure from all around the world. He was stern but it seemed that seriousness came only from a need to protect himself, he was self-assured and his confidence was both intimidating and refreshing. Then there was Vinculus. He was the breath of fresh air. The free spirit. The rouge. He was wild and fun, he had a love of everything and seemed to have a real thirst for life. He was witty and funny, overly charming and a huge flirt. You found the more you were around him the more you wanted to be around him. Like a moth to a flame. He was truly addictive. 

The day moved quickly and you soon found yourself in the kitchen cooking dinner, you hadn’t been told to but you felt thankful for their acceptance, you had never really found that in your life before.

The four men seemed more than thankful for your offerings and ate it all happily. Childermass disappeared into the library as soon as his plate was clear, Segundus thanked you graciously before he and Mr Honeyfoot hurried off to their magicians’ meeting. Leaving just you and Vinculus.

“Thank you for cooking, it was lovely,” said Vinculus shooting you a very handsome smile.

“You are more than welcome. If not for you I fear I would still be locked in that cell,” you said but Vinculus simply shook his head.

“He might seem like he doesn’t care, but even Childermass could not leave a lady in such a place, especially one so beautiful,” said Vinculus and again you found yourself blushing at his words.

“I like it when you do that, it’s sweet,” said Vinculus and without much warning, he leant forward and brushed a stray hair over your ear.

Your breath caught in your throat and unconsciously you pressed your face into his hand, your eyes closing in contentment. You had been touch-starved for some time now and your growing affections for the handsome rogue did nothing to stop your movements.

And then he kissed you. Your eyes snapped open in shock as Vinculus’ lips connected with your own. They were far softer than you would have expected and your body began to react. Like an out-of-body experience, you started to kiss back, unsure what it was that you were doing. Vinculus’ hands moved to rest on your knees and an immediate warmness began to pool downwards in your belly. Vinculus pulled away after a short while, a grin plastered across his face.

“I’m sorry Y/N, you just looked so beautiful,” he told you and a smile pulled at your lips.

“It’s okay” you smiled looking away from his gaze somewhat flushed.

“How about we go into town for a drink, there is a nice little tavern up the way,” said Vinculus suddenly after the room had fallen quiet.

“Okay that sounds nice, let me get my cloak,” you said before you hurried away quickly, your face stained red with embarrassment.

The walk to the tavern was awkward, neither you nor Vinculus spoke. You felt rather embarrassed. He held the door for you when you arrived and led you to an empty table near the back of the cosy room. He left you while he headed to the bar to get you drinks. He returned with two flagons, you assumed from the smell alone that it was Gin.

“Have I upset you? I shouldn’t have kissed you” sighed Vinculus and finally, you looked up at him again. He really was very handsome and his eyes were so very blue, they were glorious.

“No, I was just a little embarrassed. I wasn’t expecting it. No one has kissed me since I was a teenager” you muttered quietly and Vinculus frowned.

“What? Why?” he asked and you smiled at his shock.

“Well because I was cast out by most people, because of my curse. Men didn’t want to be anywhere near me let alone kiss me. So when you did, I guess it shocked me. But you did not upset me at all. I liked it. I like you” you stuttered feeling horribly exposed before your eyes fell to the table again.

You heard Vinculus laugh and you looked up at him again.

“You’re sweet, you know that,” he said and you giggled shyly. Vinculus grinned at the sound and raised his flagon to you, before taking a very large gulp.

“Will you kiss me again?” you asked quietly and Vinculus lowered his flagon from his lips slowly. The clink of its rim hitting the table seemed almost deafening.

“Would you like me to?” he asked and you blushed heavily. You had had a sheltered life, having hidden away from most contact and so to have affections such as this thrown upon you was new. But you liked Vinculus he seemed genuine and sweet. And you very much liked kissing him.

“Yes,” you said in no more than a whisper. As soon as the word had left your mouth Vinculus had slid along the bench on which you were both sitting, so your legs were touching and he threw an arm around your shoulders. He smelt of parchment and alcohol but it was not altogether unpleasant. He reached forward and brushed a hand along the side of your face, caressing your cheek. A shiver ran down your spine and Vinculus smiled at the reaction. You liked his smile, it was large and unabashed.

Nervously you moved your face closer to his until you could feel his hot breath on your lips. Finally, you lost your reserve and closed the distance capturing his lips with your own. Vinculus made a noise close to a growl and you smiled. He quickly took control wrapping his arm a little tighter around your shoulder before it slipped down your back to hold you around the waist. The feeling was both comforting and arousing. Vinculus licked your bottom lip and you opened your mouth in surrender. His tongue massaging your own, in an odd dance.

When you ran out of breath you pulled away and Vinculus nipped at your bottom lip lightly.

“I hardly know you” you spoke voicing your fears aloud.

“It’s only a kiss, it can mean as much or as little as you like. The lords and ladies of England get married on much less” he said and you smirked. He was right of course, most barely had met their spouse more than twice before tying the knot.

“I did enjoy it” you admitted and Vinculus grinned again.

“Me too,” he said and you shyly moved closer, so you were pressed up against his side a little more.

You chatted for a long time after that, Vinculus told you all about his childhood and you told him about yours. You had a lot in common, having been excluded from society, forced to live in the worse of ways. The more he told you the more you wanted to kiss him again.

With a flagon of gin in each of your stomachs you left, you thanked Vinculus for paying which he simply shrugged off. The Gin had made you both bold and you chattered loudly as you headed back to Starecross. On the way back you passed a large mansion on the main roads. You could hear the music from within, quickly you hurried to the window to stare inside. Inside many fine lords and ladies were dancing as a string quartet played in the corner.

“I always dreamt of wearing a dress like that and going to a ball, it all seems so wonderful” you sighed as Vinculus settled behind you and looked through the window with you. He chuckled and moved away again as you continued to watch the dancing couples.

“Well I’m not much of a Lord but are a very fine lady,” he said and you turned to see him bowing his head to you, hand extended.

“May I have this dance, my lady?” he asked with a very cheeky grin plastered across his face.

For a moment you simply stared at his offered hand, unsure what to do. But a belly full of gin had chased away many of your inhibitions and so you quickly took his hand. In one swift movement Vinculus had led you into a dancing stance, one hand on your hip the other holding your hand out to the side. You quickly caught up and soon he was leading you around the alleyway in a lazy twirling circle.

“You can dance” you giggled in astonishment at his ability.

“I am a man of many talents,” he said with a grin you laughed again.

You danced together until the muffled music from inside the house died out. Vinculus released your hands and stepped back bowing to you deeply.

“That was amazing,” you told him with a laugh and he chuckled.

“Well it’s the nearest I could do,” he said with a shrug and you smiled again.

“It was very sweet of you,” you said taking a step towards him again. In the blink of an eye, Vinculus had closed the distance between you, so his lips were on yours again.

This kiss was heavier this time and you looped your hands around his neck as he led your backwards until your back rested against the cold stone wall of the building. Vinculus kissed you hard and a moan erupted from somewhere deep within you. This only encouraged him as his arms moved from your waist to your hips. He squeezed them lightly and heat began to move downwards again. You kissed him desperately and he chucked at your sudden neediness. He pressed you against the wall a little more, his body tight against your own. The combination of the cold of the wall and the heat of his body was overwhelming. As his tongue intruded your mouth you moaned again. He moved away and began to kiss down your throat, nibbling and licking lightly.

Your legs had begun to tremble as your underwear grew wet with excitement. You moaned again, this time much more loudly when he began to nibble the area where your neck met your shoulder.

“Oh Vinculus” you uttered and he smirked against your skin. As he moved to capture your lips again, you felt something hard brush up against your inner thigh. The sensation was overwhelming in your current heightened state and it caused your hips to buck upwards. You kissed him back feverishly, wanting more but unsure what that really meant. Finally, Vinculus pulled away resting his forehead against your own. Each of your breathing coming in pants.

“We should get back,” he said and you nodded, lost for words.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smut, all the smut. smut smut smut. oral sex female receiving.

When you arrived back to Starecross, it was dark and clearly the others had all gone to bed. Vinculus’ hand rested on the small of your back as he led you inside. You were close together unable to stop touching each other. You were drunk and so you knew you would not usually be so bold, but as soon as the door was shut you turned to Vinculus and captured his lips. He was quick to return it, your breath turned to pants and moans as he quickly took control walking you back towards the stairs. The heat between your legs grew and you moaned angrily as he pulled away.

“We should head upstairs,” he said breathily. You weren’t sure if it was because it was dark or just lust but Vinculus’ pupils were so large they nearly swamped his pools of sky blue.

“You’re so handsome,” you said as he led you up the stairs, his hand not leaving you for long.

“Well you are far more beautiful” he replied quickly and you smiled boldly. As soon as you reached the top of the stairs, Vinculus attacked you with kisses again. His hand moved to your waist and he pulled you tightly to him. Slowly he led you both backwards until you back connected with the door of your room with a small bang. He pulled you closer to him before you felt his hand reached back and open the door. You were both inside in seconds. You grab needly at his clothes as you kissed him, nipping gently at his bottom lip.

The only sound in the room was your quiet mews of pleasure and the smacking noise of your kiss which was only growing more heated by the second. You wanted him to do something else but still let out a noise of surprise when his hand ventured back to grab hold of your arse roughly. His mouth moved from yours down to your neck where he sucked and nipped you lightly, his mouth finding that sweet spot again and you moaned loudly.

“I do like that noise” he purred as he continued to lay kisses down your neck. His hand moved from your arse upwards and he tugged lightly on the strings of your dress, they came undone after a while and he made short work of loosening them enough before he stood back and looked at you. Then his hand moved up to your shoulders and he pushed the straps of your dress down until it crumpled into a pool around your feet. He let out an appreciative moan as you now stood in nothing but your underwear in front of him.

His mouth was on yours again in seconds. His body pressed against your tightly. You pushed your hands up the back of his loose shirt to feel the skin there as he began to walk you both backwards. It felt as though your heart had travelled southwards as your centre pulsed with want.

“Vinculus” you breathe needly as he stood back from you again. His hat and shirt came off in one swift motion as he pulled them both over his head. His body was magnificent, a tapestry of writing you had no hope of ever fully understanding and yet was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. Your hands reached out from him as he approached. A mischievous smile took over his face as he reached out and pushed you hard. You let out a shriek as your legs connected with the bed and you fell back into its unmade sheets.

With little warning he was there again, climbing on top of you. He parted your legs with a nudge of his own before he found you with a kiss again. It was hot and heavy and you needed so much for him to do more than just kiss you. You hips bucked up on their own accord as he bit down on your neck lightly.

“You are so beautiful” he praised as he moved to capture your lips again but it didn’t last long and you felt yourself follow him as he pulled away. He chuckled lightly before he reached under your back and expertly removed your bra. You gasped as the cold air hit your nipples but the feeling didn’t last long as Vinculus brought his hands to both of your breasts. He kneaded them and you moaned, he grinned wickedly before he removed his hands and loomed over you again.

“You’ll like this princess I promise, but if you want me to stop just say,” he said before he kissed you sweetly. You nodded dumbly, words having left you at this point. You clit pulsed and you felt yourself soaking your panties.

When his teeth grazed your nipple you fought the reaction to sit up, but then you threw your head back as he began to suck and bite your nipple lightly. You moaned quietly and you felt him grin against your skin. He was fair moving his attention to your other breast in turn. You were squirming beneath him by the time he began to trail kisses down your chest and towards your navel. When he reached your panties he stopped and looked up at your with a devilish grin.

“Want me to continue,” he asked grinning and again all you could do was nod.

He pulled your soaked panties from you agonisingly slowly. Before he sat back on his heels and looked at you laid out before him completely bare. He saw the embarrassment on your face and quickly he moved up to kiss you again, you couldn’t concentrate on his kiss though as his hand was travelling down your stomach. He drew small circles on to your hip bone before he moved down to your thigh. When his hand touched your inner thigh you quivered with anticipation and he moved away to look into your eyes.

“Relax, Y/N. I promise I’ll take good care of you” he said his voice was lower now, more gravely than usual.

“I trust you, it’s just I’ve never…” you began and Vinculus nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle. But if you want me to stop just say” he assured you.

His hand moved from your inner thigh and when his finger touched your clit you let out a cry of pure bliss. He rested beside you watching your face, occasionally kissing your neck or cheek. At first, he just stroked it on and off, sporadically but then he pressed down and began to draw small circles. Your eyes snapped shut and you tried not to move. A pressure began to build in your stomach and you needed your release more than anything. The nearer you got the more the wanted to touch him, you turned your head to kiss him but the kisses didn’t last long before a moan from you broke it.

“Oh, I do like that sound” he praised. Little circles around and around. The pressure built and built and you needed to come so badly you thought you might go insane.

“I’m going too” you breathed and as soon as your words had left your lips, Vinculus pulled his hand away. The lack of attention was almost painfully and you cry out in distress. you had been so close. You turned to look at him in the darkness of your room but he was moving.

“Move up the bed more” he commanded with a voice like butter. You did as he said but grew nervous when he moved to place himself between your legs.

“Relax, princess,” he said kissing you again. 

Your need was now off the scale and you wiggled your hips in a desperate attempt at release. He grinned again and kissed you, taking your bottom lip in his teeth, before he moved away and began to trail kisses down your neck, across your chest nipping at each nipple causing you to squeal, then down your stomach. He nipped at the flesh of your stomach and you groaned. You didn’t know what he was up to and you quivered nervously.

He placed a very light kiss to your inner thigh and you let out a cry. Then his tongue reached out. Licking a stripe up your core. You couldn’t restrain the noise that escaped you. His warm, wet tongue against you hot clit was pure ecstasy. He placed one hand on your hip to keep you still and then squeezed your thigh teasingly. He licked a stripe again, and again you cried out. Then he moved his hand and pushed a single finger into your soaking wet folds. The feeling was indescribable and your hips bucked up again. 

With one finger inside you, he began to assault your clit with his tongue again. This time small circles just like his finger had drawn. The pressure began to grow again and again you began to moan. But his tongue felt so much better than his hand and you moaned out over and over again. You felt awkward unsure of what to do with your arms and took to gripping onto the bed sheet either side of you. With his face buried between your legs, you felt like you were on fire. The pressure was building and your need to come was returning. Every moan that escaped you was getting you nearer and nearer. A second finger pushed into your entranced and again you bucked. 

Slowly Vinculus began to pump them back and forth inside of you, hitting a button inside of you that you didn’t even know existed. Like a switch going off in your head, your pleasure built higher and higher. Until finally with a few more licks you were crashing over the edge of your orgasm. Like a tidal wave washing over you, your eyes slammed shut and you cried out his name. He placed another kiss to your oversensitive clit and you moaned again. He moved up beside you and when you opened your eyes he was looking at your grinning wickedly. His beard glistened with your juices and you let out a moan of pleasure at the sight.

“I told you I’d take care of you,” he said and you smiled.

“That was amazing,” you said and he grinned.

“I’m glad you had fun” he whispered before he leant forward and kissed you. You could taste what you assumed was your own juices in his mouth but you didn’t mind. He gripped at your hip turning you onto your side to lay against him. He pulled away and brushed a lock of hair behind your ear. You wanted to ask what was going to happen next but your orgasm has sobered you and felt too shy. Without a word though, Vinculus collected you up into his arms so you could lay your head against his chest. Something hard pressed against your thigh, and again you wanted to question him.

“Aren’t we going to?” you asked yawning slightly and Vinculus moved to look down at you.

“Not tonight, beautiful” he replied with a sweet smile.

He kissed the top of your head sweetly before reaching to pull the covers over you both. Wrapped in his arms you felt safe and happy. His heartbeat was a soothing sound, as you lay with your face snuggled against his chest. His wonderfully warm parchment-like scent filling your senses.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he said.

“Goodnight Vinculus” you breathed snuggling a little closer before your eyes slipped shut


	6. Chapter 6

Much to his word the next morning Childermass was waiting with books in hand after breakfast. Your magic training had begun. Every day you trained with Childermass from 8 am to 6 pm only stopping for a quick lunch at midday.

You saw Vinculus whenever you could and he would sometimes treat you to a drink at the tavern again. With each passing day, your affections for him grew. He flirted with you brazenly, something Childermass would scold him for when he overheard but it did nothing to deter Vinculus. He had decided to court you in the best way he knew. At first, it was sweet things such as summoning a bunch of flowers from thin air whenever you met after your training but after a month it quickly developed into something more.

Stolen kisses before you retired to bed, exhausted from training. Jewellery left on your pillow or hand-written poems that were terrible and didn’t rhyme at all but you loved them all the same. Your crush on him had developed into very strong feelings and you liked to think the feeling was mutual. Many times he had referred to you as a jewel or flower in his terrible poems, something which never failed to make you smile.

Since that first night though, Vinculus has stopped short when anything had grown too heated. You had no idea why he never went further, you had never laid with a man but you very much wanted to lay with Vinculus. Frankly, you were getting tired of it and very much frustrated. And today was no different, in fact, it was somewhat rather worse. You woke sweating and out of breath, you had dreamt about your night with Vinculus again and you had grown rather hot by it. So by the time you got to your lesson that morning you already felt rather frustrated.

“Vinculus has volunteered to join us for today’s lesson,” said Childermass in his usual gruff tone. Vinculus shot you a very flirty grin from where he stood on the other side of the room.

“A simple repelling spell is your lesson for today. We read up on it yesterday so you should be able to reproduce it easily. Vinculus is going to take the place of the attacker and you are going to repel him” said Childermass explaining the task. You nodded to your teacher and Vinculus grinned.

“Whenever you are ready Vinculus,” said Childermass. Vinculus wiggled his eyebrows at you before he began running toward you, across the large library. You held your hand up and said the incantation in your head, no sooner had the words ran along your mind was Vinculus thrown back so hard his feet were taken from the floor and landed some distance away in a crumpled mess.

“Vinculus!” you exclaimed in both shock and dismay.

“Oh my goodness, I didn’t mean to” you babbled as you hurried over to where he lay. You collapsed to your knees beside him. His eyes were closed and you looked at him for any sign of injury.

“Aren’t you going to do something!” you shrieked turning your head to look at your teacher, who simply looked mildly irritated by the whole event.

“Why, there is nothing wrong with him, other than a terrible sense of humour,” said Childermass in a tone of pure annoyance.

“What, whatever do you mean,” you said turning back to Vinculus. The handsome rogue was sitting up slightly on his elbows, grinning like an absolute fool.

“Oh! You are rotten! I thought you were hurt” you cried hitting him in the shoulder mockingly.

“Were you worried about me, princess?” Vinculus asked grinning madly. You blushed a deep red and he laughed loudly before he threw his arms around you and pulled you on top of him.

“Vinculus!” you scolded, sat now straddling his narrow waist.

“Y/N” he mimicked and you couldn’t help but smiled. He took this as his chance and leant up and connected his lips to your own. You melted almost instantly, every little touch from him was bliss and you found yourself nigh on floating away in happiness whenever he kissed you.

He nipped lightly at your lower lip and a cry of pleasure escaped you, Vinculus chuckled and quickly he flipped you both so he was on top and very much in control. The kiss grew heated, your tongues battling for dominance. His hand moved to thumb at your hip needily, your own were now tangled in his mass of light brown hair. His beard tickled in the most pleasant way as he kissed you, so soundly you could think of nothing else but him. You nipped at his bottom lip and he groaned darkly, a sound that seemed to light a fire between your thighs.

And then someone coughed.

Vinculus pulled away but didn’t remove himself from you. You looked past the edge of Vinculus’ hair to where Childermass stood, arms crossed across his chest. Looking more than a little displeased.

“Sorry got a little carried away,” said Vinculus to Childermass before he removed himself from you and stood. You missed his contact instantly. You wanted him touching you all the time. He held a hand out and helped you to your feet.

“I think that will be enough for you today Vinculus, I don’t believe my student can deal with the distraction you apparently create,” Childermass said and Vinculus grinned, looking rather proud of himself.

After Vinculus left you continued your lesson, with your fairy blood magic came easily to you and Childermass’ understanding of fairy magic seemed to know no bounds as he taught you everything from basic to advanced. When you finished that night it was far later than usual and you were desperate for a drink. Something alcoholic, you really did deserve it.

“Well done today, Y/N. You did well” said Childermass and you nodded to him. Mr Segundus had prepared dinner that night in your absence and you sat beside the fire with a bowl of food and a generous glass of wine.

You knew he was beside you, without even looking up from the fire. It was like second sense or maybe you had grown familiar with his smell or had learnt to listen out for his familiar footsteps.

“Evening princess,” he said and you smiled. You turned to him placing your now-empty bowl on the coffee table.

“Good Evening, Vinculus,” you said turning your attention to your wine, you took a large mouthful.

That first gulp was the beginning of the end. You have never really been able to afford alcohol in your life before and so had next to no tolerance for it. You were drunk in no time and Vinculus watched you with a very close eye as you babbled drunkenly about something inconsequential.

He topped up your glass from the bottle before taking a large swig directly from the bottle. You watched him your gaze fuzzy, he was stretched out again, like he always did. Legs spread wide, leaning back in the chair so far that it looked uncomfortable. You eyes trailed down his lithe form and he rose an eyebrow. You grew so very bold when you were drunk.

“Lesson was fun today, I hope Childermass lets me assist again,” said Vinculus as your eyes met his.

“I don’t think he will, he wasn’t very happy” you replied quickly with a small smirk. Your head lolling drunkenly on your shoulders.

“No, it’s a shame he didn’t just leave,” said Vinculus and you frowned.

“Why it’s not like anything would happen, it never does. You never let it” You replied in an annoyed tone. Vinculus frowned, his brow furrowing. Surely you knew why he stopped himself every time things got a little heated, surely you understood he was using every ounce of self-restraint he had to do so. That he would like nothing more than to rip all your clothes off and take you every time you were together. He thought this had been what you wanted.

He gaped slightly to himself shaking his head in disbelief.

“Y/N, you can’t possibly…” he began turning to you again only to find you collapsed in your chair, mouth slightly agape as you slept. He smiled slightly as he stood and picked you up into his hold. You seemed to curl into his body as soon as he lifted you from the chair, nuzzling your face into his chest.

He carried you up the stairs and laid you carefully on the bed, tucking the covers around you.

“Goodnight, princess” he whispered before he placed a gentle kiss on your head and left you to your sleep.

* * *

Morning hit you like a stampede of wild horses. The sun was far too bright, the birdsong was far too loud and your head pounded horribly. The second hangover of your life seemed even worse than the first. You felt awful but it only got worse as you sat up, immediately reaching for your chamberpot as last night’s dinner made re-appearance. You looked around as soon as you were finished, wondering how exactly you had ended up here. You vaguely remembered sitting beside the fire and talking to Vinculus. But that was the last thing you could remember, you were still dressed in yesterday’s clothes so you couldn’t have been very aware of anything last night, if at all.

After dressing and bathing, you joined Mr Honeywood and Mr Segundus for a breakfast of porridge. You felt awful and certainly were not hungry but forced yourself to eat before you collected up your books and headed to the library without a word.

You were glad of the fact that today Childermass only had you reading. The words seemed to not stay in your brain though, you found yourself reading the same line over and over. It was like the whole day was a dream, you couldn’t truly focus and you seemed to flit from one task to the next without much comprehension. You hadn’t seen any sign of Vinculus all day and you wondered where he was. You rather missed his cheeky grin and his ever so blue eyes.

Dinner was a simple affair Childermass, Mr Honeywood and Mr Segundus hurried away to their magicians meeting as soon as their plates were clear. You insisted you would be fine on your own and began the washing up. Your mind seemed to switch off as you washed up the plates and glasses from the night, the washing water, warm and soothing.

“I hope you are not feeling too poorly,” said a voice as you washed up the last few items. You turned to him drying your hands on your piny.

“Hello, and no just a little tired now. Though I don’t remember much about last night” you replied and Vinculus smirked.

“Well we talked by the fire, you drank a bottle of wine, passed out and I carried you to bed,” he said and you felt the heat rise to your cheeks in embarrassment.

“Oh, I’m sorry and thank you for caring for me” you replied and Vinculus smiled kindly as he made his way across the room to you.

“Of course princess, I’ll always look after you. And before you passed out I was going to tell you something. I think you were a little annoyed with me” he said and you flushed an even darker red, as you remember what you had said to him last night.

“I’m so sorry. I should not have said that.” you cried and Vinculus grinned.

“No, it’s my fault. I thought you wanted it this way, to be like one of those upper-class ladies you envy so much. They don’t share a bed till they are married.” said Vinculus and you felt yourself frown.

“What do you mean?” you asked quickly as your heart began to beat loudly in your ears.

“Well I mean I thought you wouldn’t want to do anything, as the tradition is not to. I thought you wanted to be treated like a lady. I know I’m not much of a gentleman and we kinda broke the rules a bit but I thought you know…” said Vinculus with a small shrug. You had hardly taken in his words at all, all you could think about was the connotations of this all.

“You want to marry me?” you asked so quietly it was barely more than a whisper and look of pure shock was written across your features.

“Yes, of course, was that not clear” laughed Vinculus quickly.

“You want to marry me!” you exclaimed in pure disbelief.

“Yes” smiled Vinculus again nodding his head.

Your feet were moving before you had even really registered it. You lips smashed into his in a show of all that you felt for this ridiculous, charming, beautiful, wonderful man.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smut, all the smut, male x female, sex, NSFW.

Vinculus pulled away from your kiss, an incredibly bright smile written across his face.

“I take that to mean you’re pleased? That you do want to marry me too?” he asked grinning that beautiful grin.

“Of course, I do. Come with me” you said taking his hand in your own.

You felt incredible. Of course, you wanted to marry Vinculus, you had loved him for a long time now. 6 months had passed since you had first met and not a day had gone by that you didn’t enjoy his company. He was funny and kind and clever. You had not expected this though because you had not expected him to be dedicated like this. But then you had not expected to get so lost in him either.

Calmly you lead Vinculus through the house, up the stairs and towards your room. When you reached the door, he stopped you as you reached forward to open the door.

“What are you doing?” he asked and you smiled.

“I need you” you replied pushing yourself towards him and capturing his lips.

“Are you sure?” he asked which only made you love him more.

“Yes” as soon as the confirmation had left you, Vinculus was kissing you.

He pushed you both through the door with new haste that was not there before. He kicked the door shut behind you and it slammed loudly. You pulled away, taking a few steps away from him. Vinculus raised a questioning eyebrow, but it soon turned into a wicked grin as you reached behind yourself and undid the laces of your dress. It fell to your feet in a pool leaving you in nothing but a pair of panties.

“Say what you said in the hall,” he growled, his voice had gone deep and gravelly again.

“I need you” you breathed. Vinculus closed the short distance between the two of you in seconds. He wrapped you up in his arms and kissed you hungrily. His arms moved down to loop around you bum before he pulled up off the floor and into his arms. He shot you a mischievous look before he threw you backwards.

A scream ripped from your throat as you left the safety of his arms, but soon you landed on the soft sheets of your bed with a small bounce. Vinculus joined you, kissing his way up your body. He loomed over you with a very triumphant grin plastered across his face.

“You always do that” you groaned as he chuckled lightly.

“Don’t you trust me, Y/N?” he asked moving to kiss your neck. A moan stole your answer, as he found that sweet spot again. Vinculus chuckled darkly before he moved to capture your lips, at least that is what you had thought. As you moved to kiss him he leant back, grinning like a fool. He was toying with you and you scowled at him. Vinculus frowned in an overdramatic way.

“Oh no I don’t like that face,” he said in a faux sad voice.

“Then kiss me” you demanded boldly and Vinculus did just that. His lips connected with yours and you let out a mew of contentment. Suddenly his kiss grew hungry again and you pulled at his shirt. Finally, you undid the last button and slid the garment off his shoulders. He moved quickly to throw it behind him and to the floor.

His lips were soon on yours again and you moved to loop an arm around his neck, running the other up and down his chest. He growled lowly in the back of his throat as you ran a nail up his stomach. His hand moved to grab your breast, he massaged it slowly and you moved, trying to press yourself closer to him. Heat was pooling between your legs, your hips bucking involuntarily as he pinched your nipple between his finger and thumb. With him, on top of you like this you felt so turned on it was almost painful.

His breathing was loud in your ear as he moved to bite and lick at your collarbone. Your breathing had turned to pants as his hand moved from your breast, trailing down your stomach to grip at your inner thigh tightly. His hand ran up down your leg teasingly, your clit was already throbbing in anticipation, the side of his hand collided with you as he stroked at your leg and you let out a long moan, which only caused Vinculus to smile. As he moved to capture he lips again you felt his member prod against your leg. Feeling unusually brave you ran a hand down his stomach again before you reached the band of his trousers. You pushed your hand past the band and soon your hand connected with something very hot and very hard. Vinculus pulled away as you wrapped a hand around him, hissing in bliss as you began to move your hand up and down. Unsure of your actions.

“You’re a good girl” he praised moaning quietly.

But soon Vinculus had grabbed your wrist and pulled your hand from his trousers.

“Not too much, I don’t want this to be over too quickly” he explained and you blushed darkly. He moved up to your face if only to watch you as he pushed his hand down your body, into your panties and to the very centre of your heat. He pushed a finger into you silky folds and you cried out throwing your head back. He grinned watching you begin to writhe as he pumped his finger in and out before adding a second. When he began to move, you opened your eyes and looked at him. You knew he was going to do what he had done before but tonight you wanted all of him.

“No, I want you here,” you said and Vinculus smirked.

“Whatever you want, princess” he cooed kissing your lips sweetly.

He pulled his fingers from your core moving them agonisingly slowly upwards towards your button. Stars erupted in your eyes as he began small quick circles on your bud. He cooed encouragingly in your ear as he brought you nearer and nearer and finally you were cumming hard.

“Vin…” was all you managed as you spasmed slightly and your back arched. Vinculus moved his hand up to your hip and pushed you down against the bed again. But he gave you no chance to recover before his hand moved down again and pulled your panties from your body entirely. They ended up in the pile with the rest of your clothes. He kissed your neck, as his hand found your button again.

“You’re so wet” he praised as you moaned at his ministrations. You were so sensitive you came almost instantly again and Vinculus moved to kiss you, capturing your cry in his mouth.

Vinculus moved to, so he was between your thighs, he nudged your legs spreading them wider.

“You are so beautiful,” he said as he kissed your neck. You grew nervous, you had not done this before and had heard it hurt.

“You want me to stop?” he asked, obviously your apprehension was evident on your face.

“No,” you said quickly and he smiled. Vinculus moved from the bed and stood. With you watching in quiet anticipation, he undid the strings on his trousers and dropped them to his feet. A rush of heat hit your core as you took in his naked form. He was magnificent, a beautiful lithe form, his hips bones stuck out in the most pleasing of ways. His body truly was covered in the words of the Raven King, like a tapestry. He was clearly as aroused as you, his cock standing to attention almost flat against his stomach. You didn’t know if it was large or not having no form of comparison but it was impressive nonetheless. An unfamiliar hunger overtook you as beheld it.

A true excitement began to brew within you as he moved towards you again. Climbing up the bed towards you, he moved so he was between your thighs. He slowly ran a hand up each leg until they were bent at the knee. You shivered and he chuckled before he captured your lips in a kiss that was truly breathtaking.

“Relax, Y/N” Vinculus whispered.

The tip of his cock brushed against your core and you groaned loudly. He moved to suck one of your nipples into his mouth sucking and biting gently. You were going mad, you needed him so badly.

“Please” you begged, your voice high and breathy. His eye glanced up at your own before he smirked and continued his assault on your body.

“Please Vinculus, I need you,” you said again.

His movements grounded to a halt and he moved up to look deeply into your eyes. His cock brushed past your folds and finally, he entered you. It was like a bomb had gone off inside your mind, a twinge of pain hit you but that was soon lost in the waves of relief and pleasure that hit you. You bucked your hips which only pushed Vinculus into you deeper. He growled loudly and you decided then, that it was the best sound you had ever heard. You threw your arms around his neck as he leant down and kissed you. At first, his hips moved slowly but as soon as he knew you really were enjoying yourself, he picked up the pace.

His cock hit that button inside of your with every stroke and you cried out again. Your grip increased on his shoulders as he began to pound into you with real strength. You felt it building like a fire between your legs, you opened your mouth but no sound came out. You gripped at Vinculus helplessly as you neared a new high. With two more thrusts, you were thrown over the edge into pure ecstasy. You head hit the stars and you could feel nothing but bliss.

It was like nothing you had ever experienced before. No sound left your lips as you threw your head back, you felt your insides contracting around Vinculus’ cock as he continued to thrust into you, but it wasn’t long before his hips stuttered and he cried out your name, his hot seed spilling inside of you.

You were still on cloud nine when he moved off of you to lie beside you. As if by instinct you rolled to him and he collected you up into his arms. You placed a kiss on his bare chest as you came back down to earth.  
You moved to look up at his handsome face. His hair was even more dishevelled than usual and he smiled goofily at you.

“I love you,” you said quietly and Vinculus’ grin turned into a sweet and blindly honest smile.

“I love you more” he replied quickly before he leant forward and kissed you sweetly.

That night you slept in his arms, happier than you had ever been in your life.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smut, NSFW, Short chapter.

When you woke the next day the world seemed different than it had before. Your head was lying on Vinculus’ chest as he slept soundly, his warm arm wrapped around your waist. His hair was even more dishevelled than usual and his beard was sticking out in odd places, but you honestly thought he was the most handsome you had ever seen him. You didn’t want to move out of that bed ever again. You wanted to stay here in his arms forever. You laid your hand on his chest trailing along the small smattering of hair that you found there. The words of the Raven King covered his body and absentmindedly you began to read them.

_A woman of fairy blood shall arrive on the night when the sky is filled with light and noise. Her hair will be as white as snow. She will wield powerful magic beyond her knowledge. She will set the sky ablaze._

The words trailed across his chest, right where his heart would be. Maybe the Raven King was giving Vinculus a clue that he would find love with this woman.

 _She will set the sky ablaze._ Those words still worried you. You didn’t know what they meant but you knew that Childermass was worried too, he kept you away from any magic that involved fire. You shook the worrisome thought from your mind and instead turned to watch Vinculus. He looked happy, peaceful. You found yourself staring at him in no time, and so when he woke he caught you.

“Watching me sleep?” he asked and, you blushed giggling slightly.

“Good morning, my love” he cooed kissing the side of your head lightly. You smiled at him and he gave you a mischievous look. For a second the pair of you just stared at one another, a questioning look befalling your face but with a singular laugh, Vinculus had launched himself at you. He began tickling your sides and you let out a strangled laugh.

“No, stop” you spat out in between roaring laughs but Vinculus only moved to kneel beside you and assault you more. You reached out and pushed him hard on the chest until he fell backwards into the sheets. At first, you thought you were going to get revenge, but he looked so handsome, laid out before you like the best present ever.

Your lips connected with him and Vinculus’ groaned with contentment. His arms looped around your hips and he pulled you so you were straddling him. You bit at his lips, you were already wet for this man. It was like with one look he could turn you on. You could feel him growing hard in between your legs and instinctively you ground down on him. Vinculus growled and you moaned, that sound was so delicious.

You kissed him a little harder, biting his lip before you pulled away and moved to his neck. You had next to no idea what you were doing, led only be instinct and following what he had done to you the previous night. You sucked on the spot just behind his ear and he moaned loudly. This seemed like a good spot. You sucked and licked, biting lightly at his neck, his every moan causing the fire between your legs to burn a little hotter. With a final kiss, you moved down his chest, kissing a trail. You took his nipple into your mouth, half wondering if men enjoyed this as much as women but as you nipped lightly at the little bud, Vinculus groaned in pleasure. You swirled your tongue around it before moving to the other. You wiggled your hips as you pulled away and Vinculus thrust up, his now rock hard dick connecting with your inner thigh. Following the trail of hair that led down his body, you came to his stomach, where you bit lightly at the round of his tummy.

You had never done this before but then all of this was new to you, but you had heard of the act. You moved to kneel between his legs and Vinculus looked down at you with a very intrigued gaze. You looked over his body, the only parts free of the Raven King’s words were his face, his hands, his feet and as it turned out his dick. You took it into your hand and Vinculus sucked in a breath, through his teeth. You didn’t know what to expect but as you place your mouth around the tip you didn’t think it would be so warm. You sucked lightly and swirled your tongue around the very tip. Vinculus moaned loudly and threw his head back into the pillows. Slowly you lowered your mouth over his cock and began to move it in and out of your mouth. Twice you hit the back of your throat and had to resist the urge to gag, but the noises Vinculus was making spurred you on. He moaned and gasped and made that beautiful growling noise. You picked up your pace your hand following your mouth so that you didn’t take to much in.

“ahh, Y/N” Vinculus cried out and you glanced up at him resisting the smile. He reached down and pulled your face away from his member.

“I need you” he breathed lowly, mimicking your words from last night. You were quick to comply, climbing up his body. You had expected him to take control, turn you both over so he was on top. You were wrong, instead, his hands moved to your hips and as soon as you were straddling him, he held you in place and thrust up.

He entered you hard, your heat exploded with pleasure and you pushed down against him. On instinct alone, you rose up a little before thrusting your hips down. You threw your head back and found support placing your hands on his chest as you rode him fast and hard.

“You look amazing like that” he complimented and you thrust down into him again. You were both soon a mess of hair and staggered breathing. As your legs grew tired and your thrusts slowed Vinculus took over, holding your hips up with his hand and thrusting up into you. He was hitting that sweet little button inside of you again and you knew that you were close.

“I’m gonna” Vinculus groaned before you felt his hot seed fill you up inside. That feeling was enough to push you over the edge and you slammed down on top of him cumming so hard your legs lost all feeling for a moment.

Vinculus pulled you down onto his chest and you could hear his heart thundering from within him.

“Good morning” you croaked your voice having grown weak from your moans. Vinculus chuckled and you smiled at him.

“I’m going to marry you,” he said, it was almost like a threat and you smiled boldly at him.

“I’d like that” you replied.

A knock on the door cut your thoughts in half and you sat up. You glanced at Vinculus who merely shrugged.

“Miss Friday, Mr Childermass is waiting for you in the library once you are dressed” called the voice of Mr Segundus and you resisted the urge to laugh. Vinculus moved to place sweet kisses on your shoulders and you smiled at him.

“Thank you Mr Segundus, Tell Mr Childermass I won’t be long” you replied trying to make your voice sound less like you had been screaming all night. When you heard the sound of footstep heading away you let out a laugh and Vinculus grinned brightly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Suggestive language, fluff, adult language.

The next few weeks passed by quickly. Vinculus had not been fooling you and had even bought you a betrothal ring. You were surprised by the gesture after all Vinculus did not have much money. It was simple just a band made of copper but you loved it more than anything else you owned. With the ring came the announced to the others in the house. Mr Segundus and Mr Honeywood were very happy and wanted to help in any way they could. Childermass didn’t have much to say other than he hoped it would not distract you from your studies too much.

As for magic, your fairy blood had allowed you to move quickly through Childermass’ teachings. He was still on the hunt for a piece of magic that could bring back Mr Strange and Mr Norrell. They were lost somewhere and Childermass was sure the answer was to be found by him.

“The magicians of England shall fall from the sky. They will return uninjured but not unchanged” Said Childermass for the third time that day. He had found the prophecy on Vinculus’ shoulder the previous day and was now determined to find a way to open a portal in the sky.

You glanced at Vinculus, who was sat shirtless in the bay of the window. He was staring out into the sunlit gardens and you smiled at him. He wasn’t looking at you, he was just watching the world go by. Since Childermass had found the prophecy he had not allowed Vinculus to leave his sight. He must have felt your gaze and he turned to look at you, grinning brightly. He waved sweetly and you smiled before Childermass paced in front of you again and you returned to your reading. With every minute that Childermass didn’t find this spell, he grew more and more irritable.

You had now been at Starecross for 8 months. It felt far shorter and you were glad to have found such a wonderful home, but even more glad to have found a husband. It still felt strange to call him that, even if it was only in your head. It wasn’t that you hadn’t believed Vinculus when he had promised, it was rather than you hadn’t believed any of it. You did not think yourself worthy of his love but he spent every moment he could, telling you how wrong you were. He would compliment your looks every time you woke up, he would compliment your intelligence and skill whenever you told him about your lesson for the day. He would shower you with affection every chance he got, kissing you on the temple every time you were near. Bowing in the overly chivalrous way whenever he escorted you into town. You knew he loved you, and you loved him.

But jealousy is the green-eyed monster.

She was smiling at him too much. At least that is what you thought. Vinculus had accompanied you into town to buy vegetables from the market. You had sent him to get a ham and found him chatting to the butcher’s daughter, ham in hand. She giggled at whatever he was saying, pushing a stray lock of luscious dark hair from her eyes. She was beautiful, that was undeniable.

“Hello” you began trying not to sound too annoyed as you joined the pair.

“Oh Y/N. This is Isabelle” said Vinculus introducing you to the dark-haired beauty.

“Hello Isabelle, it is a pleasure to meet you,” you said smiling as best as you could muster.

“You too Miss, your lovely fiance was just telling me about how you met. Sounds awful, but at least you had him to save you” she said cooing slightly.

“I think she saved me too, turned me into an honest man just with her beautiful face,” said Vinculus proudly and you couldn’t help but smile, your heart swelling.

“Well I suppose that is why you are marrying her sir,” said Isabelle and Vinculus grinned throwing his arm around your waist and pulling you into him. He placed a kiss on your cheek and you blushed, smiling brightly at him.

“Best be off, nice to see you, Isabelle,” said Vinculus before he took your hand in his and lead you off.

“Were you jealous?” he asked suddenly as you negotiated your way through the crowded market.

“Whatever are you talking about” you replied quickly trying to save face.

“You looked jealous,” he said chuckling. You simply shrugged and Vinculus rose an eyebrow.

“Well she is very pretty” you replied quickly and suddenly Vinculus pulled you into him, so you stood pressed against him. The crowds moving around the pair of you.

“You don’t need to be jealous ever. You are the only woman I ever want. The only woman I ever think about. The only woman I want to kiss” he said before he leant forward and captured your lips. He pulled away and smirked cheekily at you. He leant forward again but instead of kiss you, he placed his head next to yours, so his lips were next to your ear.

“The only woman I want to fuck” he whispered. You blushed a deep red and Vinculus pulled away winking at you before he took your hand and began to pull you through the crowds again.

“Y/N, look. You would look stunning in that” said Vinculus as he came to a stop in front of a shop. In the window stood a dress. It was wonderfully styled with a wide draping skirt and a bodice covered in yellow embroidery. It was a wonderful warm ivory colour, since the wedding of King George and Queen Charlotte the colour had become popular with brides.

“It’s a wedding dress,” you said quietly and Vinculus chuckled.

“Yes, well you will need one of those for our wedding,” he said and you turned to look at him.

“I know, I just…” your sentence faded and your gaze fell to his feet.

“What is it my love?” asked Vinculus softly as he reached out and lifted your chin to meet his gaze.

“I love you,” you said and Vinculus grinned.

“I know I love you too,” he said and you shook your head.

“No, you don’t understand. I love you, more than I ever thought possible. The word love doesn’t even seem enough to describe what I feel. And it’s just, well I never thought that this would happen to me. I never thought I would be so lucky to find someone like you. I never even thought I would be anything but lonely for the rest of my life. Stuck on the street begging until I died in the cold, one winter. So a wedding, our wedding seemed too good to really believe. All the while you were courting me I never let myself believe it was real. I know it is now, I know you love me. But truly I don’t feel I deserve this” you spoke quietly, your eyes locked onto Vinculus’ sky blue pools.

“Oh, Y/N. I love you too, more than I will ever be able to say. You deserve this. You deserve someone much better than me. You deserve happiness and so much more than I can ever give you. I will give you everything I can, including my heart and soul. Now stop thinking like that and tell me what you think of the dress” Vinculus said, reaching forward and caressing your side as he spoke.

A smile broke across your lips and you leant forward and pressed your lips to Vinculus’. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you a little closer. You were both smiling when you pulled away.

“I love it” you smiled looking at the dress again and Vinculus chuckled, pressing a kiss to your temple.

* * *

Thoughts of weddings were not far from your mind after that. You thought of flowers and dresses, venues and ceremonies. Vinculus had even provided you with a book on the matter, knowing fully well of your love of the traditions of the upper class.

“Want to come to the meeting?” asked his voice as you pawed over a chapter on the perfect shoes.

“Meeting?” you questioned, your soon-to-be-husband as he lounged lazily against the doorway of your bedroom.

“Yeah, you know the magicians meeting where they all sit around and read me,” said Vinculus with a smile that told you he did not make it easy for them.

“Are women allowed?” you questioned and Vinculus shrugged.

“Who cares?! You’re marrying the bloody book they are all so interested in” he argued and you smiled.

“Besides that, you’re a fairy. You could probably teach them all a thing or two” he said when you had yet to reply.

“Alright, I’ll come” you agreed and Vinculus grinned triumphantly.

The room in which the magicians met was an old shop, that they had converted to their needs. There were far more members than you had expected there to be. At least 10 men stood in the room waiting as Childermass, Segundus and Honeywood led the way. Vinculus and yourself were last in, Vinculus holding onto your hand as pushed his way to the middle of the room. The tables had all been moved to the sides of the room and a short stool stood in the middle of them.

“Who is the woman?” asked a voice and you looked past Vinculus to see a portly man with red cheeks and dark hair looking at you suspiciously.

“This is Miss Y/N Friday. She is the woman we have told you about” said Childermass quickly.

“The fairy?!” another shorter thinner man exclaimed, a look of terror befalling his features.

“Yes,” said Childermass as he began to remove his cloak.

“Well, why is she here?” asked the portly man again.

“Because she is my bride, and if you want me here, she stays,” said Vinculus quickly and the portly man visibly shrunk under Vinculus’ gaze.

After that, the magicians did not question your presences at all. Vinculus moved to stand on the small stool in the middle of the room. Slowly he began to strip his top half, he had a look of pure mischief written across his features as he shared eye contact with every magician in the room. Winking at you as his eyes moved to yours. It was though he were performing a striptease, undoing each button slowly and with much relish.

“Must we go through this every time!” the portly man exclaimed looking visibly disgusted.

“Oooo, someone’s eager!” Vinculus mocked and the portly man gaped in astonishment. Vinculus continued to undress slowly, wiggling his tongue at you as he finally rid himself of a shirt.

Once he was finally in nothing but his loose-fitting boxer shorts, the magicians moved in. Surrounding him like vultures on a fresh kill. You watched from your seat as they fussed around him reading from any place they could see. Vinculus looked at you over the tops of their head rolling his eyes and pulling strange faces, you laughed and he grinned.

“A sentence is cut off here,” said one magician, whose name you had learnt was Harold and Childermass looked over at him.

“Well follow it then,” said Childermass quickly, a tone of long-held irritation in his voice.

“I…. it’s… too low,” said Harold. Childermass looked annoyed but Harold looked horrified, you realised they were talking about a sentence that ran across Vinculus’ lower back and then down across his arse cheeks.

“Just follow it, it could be important,” said Childermass quickly before turning back to the area of Vinculus’ forearm he was inspecting.

“Surely nothing could be under there, maybe it’s continued on his leg?” said Harold in a hopeful tone, he looked horribly embarrassed. Vinculus, on the other hand, was grinning like an idiot, clearly revelling in the other man’s horror.

“How would you know?!” Vinculus smirked looking down at the magician.

“Well I…. I just assumed” stuttered Harold and Vinculus’ laughed loudly.

“Just follow the damn sentence” Childermass exclaimed and the other magician visibly jumped.

“What about the lady, it is not appropriate, with the lady here,” said Harold clearly looking for an excuse.

“Oh she won’t mind, she’s seen more of me than even you have” laughed Vinculus and Harold gaped, you felt your cheeks heat up in embarrassment as all eyes turned to you.

“Before marriage…” spluttered Mr Segundus and you couldn’t help but smile, you were not ashamed of your relationship with Vinculus, you loved him and what you had done had been an expression of that love.

“I don’t think the nature of my relationship with Vinculus is any of your concern. And Harold, yes, the words do go down there,” you said feeling awfully bold, you tried to restrain the blush covering your cheeks and Vinculus grinned proudly at you.

“Well if that is the case, perhaps Miss Friday would be more comfortable than the rest of us, reading certain areas,” said Childermass looking over at your quickly.

That was how you ended up behind a screen with Vinculus. He, of course, was completely naked and grinning like an utter fool as you read out the end of the sentence Harold had been studying. As soon as you had, the magicians erupted into chatter and you stood to face Vinculus. He was grinning but you felt horribly embarrassed.

“Oh Princess, don’t look so upset” Vinculus cooed as he stepped down from the stool and quickly pulled his trousers back on. As soon as he was dressed he pulled you into his arms and kissed the top of your head.

“I’m not upset,” you said with a small laugh, the ridiculousness of this all bringing a smile to your face.

“This is all so weird,” you said with a shake of your head and Vinculus smirked.

“You’re telling me. We are done now though, they’ll talk about that sentence for the rest of the night and whatever it was Childermass found on my wrist,” said Vinculus and you furrowed your brow.

“Don’t you ever read them yourself?” you asked and Vinculus shrugged.

“Some of them are in my head, swirling around and around and some aren’t. I’m not worried by it, books aren’t supposed to read themselves” said Vinculus and you smiled.

“Shall we go then?” he asked pulling on his shirt, the magicians paid the pair of you no mind, bustling around with books in an attempt to understand what the new prophecy meant.

“Yes, I suppose. No doubt Childermass will want me to get to class early, now that he has a new prophecy to research” you replied and Vinculus nodded, pulling you against his side as he wordlessly led you from the building.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smut, Grief.

When the next morning came you, of course, had been right. Only a few hours after dawn, Childermass was knocking on your bedroom door. You groaned and pushed your face into Vinculus’ chest a little more, unconsciously he pulled his arm around you a little tighter. 

Slowly you rose, unwillingly pulling yourself from Vinculus’ hold. He slept peacefully and you hated to leave him but Childermass had begun to shout from downstairs, so reluctantly you began to ready yourself for the day.

Much to your annoyance though, Childermass simply had you reading, by the time you would normally wake arrived, you had grown near to falling asleep at your desk.

“Here!” Childermass exclaimed some hours later, slamming a book down in front of you. You jumped at the action. It had been an exceptionally quiet morning, and you were very tired, so this sudden exclamation had been completely unexpected.

“What is it?” you asked looking at the page he had placed in front of you.

“A spell to bring back those that are lost. Norrell can be brought back with this!” cheered Childermass tapping at the page.

“A spell to open a doorway to those that are lost,” you said reading from the page, you glanced up at Childermass the excitement on his face was evident. Though he often complained about Norrell, you knew that deep down he was Childermass’ friend.

“What do we need for the spell?” you asked and he snatched the book back into his grasp.

“The ash of a willow tree and boiled water,” said Childermass reading from the book.

“When shall we begin?” you asked as Childermass began to pass again.

“It says we must do it under the brightest sun, so we will have until midday,” said Childermass.

“I’ll go and collect some willow wood to burn,” you said and Childermass nodded approvingly.

“Need some help,” asked a voice you placed your hand out to cut a large branch from the willow tree, magic dancing around the tips of your fingers invisibly.

“Maybe, my magic is still a little wild” you laughed but Vinculus held his hand out, motioning for you to continue. You took a deep breath, feeling slightly nervous, now that Vinculus was watching you. You shut your eyes and concentrated on what you were doing. Once you were ready, you opened your eyes and flicked your hand up. Due to your fairy blood, you didn’t need words or ingredients to perform magic, like Childermass or Vinculus did, but that did not mean magic was easy for you.

At first, the tree branch simply twitched as though an invisible yet heavy bird had landed upon it, but then it moved up violently and snapped loudly away from the tree. The noise was so sudden you lost your concentration and the branch fell to the ground with a bang. Vinculus’ arm snaked around your waist and he yanked you backwards, away from the falling branch.

“Careful, my love” Vinculus chuckled wrapping you up in his arms from behind, looking over the large branch that now lay on the ground, just feet from where you now stood.

“You saved me” you muttered feeling slightly embarrassed after all magic like this was child’s play for Vinculus.

“Anytime, my love” he replied kissing the side of your head.

With a little help from your future husband, you were soon sat in front of the fire, placing willow logs onto the hot embers. Vinculus lounged beside you, as you sat in silence watching the flames.

“A fairy killed you,” you said suddenly, breaking the silence. Since you had learnt this, it had played on your mind.

“Yeah, hung me from a tree. Raven King brought me back” said Vinculus as though it was nothing and you nodded.

“And me being fairly kind, that doesn’t bother you?” you asked glancing to Vinculus as you poked at the fire.

“No, of course not. I love you, no matter who your parents were” he said and you smiled.

“Good, because I love you too” you replied and Vinculus leant across and kissed you sweetly. His arm moved around your waist and he pulled you on top of him.

As he kissed you his hand moved softly up and down your side caressing you softly.

“How long do you have?” Vinculus asked you breathlessly, kissing your neck lightly. You knew why he was asking the question, you could already feel him prodding at you through his trousers.

“A few hours” you replied with a smile.

“Good,” said Vinculus before he rolled out from under you. He stood and you went to follow, glancing at the tent in his trousers with a smirk, but Vinculus leant down and collected you up into his arms, bridal style. You let out a shriek throwing your arms around his neck, but Vinculus had no issue, holding you securely in his arms. He carried you up the stairs laughing slightly as you began kissing the skin that his shirt left exposed. Vinculus kicked open the door and carried you to the bed.

Quickly he was on top of you again, pawing at your clothes desperately. He lost his shirt and your dress was pulled from your body in an instant. He moved to kiss your neck and collarbone, nipping lightly. You moaned needily and Vinculus smirked devilishly against your skin. Soon both you and Vinculus were free of any clothes and he kissed you desperately. Your need for him was never really gone and so you were already wet and ready for him. He ground his hard cock against your wet pussy and you moaned loudly. 

You looped your hands around his neck, deepening the kiss quickly, you pushed your hand into the hair at the back of his neck. It was always so much softer than you expected it to be. Vinculus pulled away grinning at you as he ground his hip into yours again. You felt his erection rub against your throbbing core and you moaned loudly on instinct. Your eyes closed as Vinculus continue to grind against you, nipping at your neck. Teasing you. His hand found your hips, the song of moans and whimpers escaping you, pure bliss to him. The friction was driving you insane and instinctively you spread your hips a little wider.

“Vin” you whimpered needily.

Usually, he liked to tease but today he needed to be inside of you too much, to have time for that. But he did love to hear you beg.

“Yes, my love” Vinculus teased lightly grinding his erection into you again.

“I need you” you begged and he smirked. His hands moved to your hips again and gently he guided himself into you. The relief was instant and you moaned loudly. Vinculus growled deep in his throat and thrust into you hard. Feeling every inch of himself slip into your velvety folds. He watched your face as he began to thrust into you, in a steady rhythm. He knew what he was doing, each stroke hitting that sweet little spot inside of you. You could feel it building, like a coil tightening in your stomach. You moaned and mewed as he gripped your hips with his hands. Holding you steady as thrust into you.

Your orgasm crashed over you suddenly and you felt yourself spasm slightly, contracting around Vinculus’ hard cock. He groaned biting your neck lightly, he continued to thrust. His movements began more erratic your own orgasm sending him mad with lust. Finally, Vinculus found his release with one final stroke, you felt his hot seed filling you up and you mewed contently at the feeling. He collapsed against your chest, laying there for a while before he rolled off of you and pulled you into his arms. Vinculus placed a gentle kiss on the top your head.

“I don’t know how those high born ladies wait until marriage to do that,” you said panting slightly and Vinculus chuckled.

“Well, maybe their partners aren’t as irresistible as me” joked Vinculus and you laughed.

“That must be it. You are very handsome. I’m a very lucky lady” you replied and Vinculus smirked kissing you sweetly.

“Not as lucky as me, beautiful” he replied.

* * *

Once the fire had burnt out and the sun was at it’s highest, you found yourself stood in a clearing in the forest behind Starecross. You stood holding Vinculus’ hand as you watched Childermass setting up the spell. Under the light of the midday sun, he drew a circle into the forest floor with the ash you had created earlier, before he poured the pre-boiled water onto the ash line, turning it black in colour.

“In this circle, I open a doorway to those that are lost, to bring them back. I give back only what is not mine and what is yours to take” said Childermass as he stood back from the circle he had drawn into the dirt.

You held tightly to Vinculus’ hand, you could feel the magic coursing through the air around you. As you watched the circle that Childermass had drawn began to glow with a faint golden light. The glowing grew brighter and brighter and suddenly the circle was moving up into the air like a gigantic bubble. It turned, spinning in the air until it came to a stop, a few feet from the ground and now facing the group watching. It glowed with such a bright light you raised your hand to shield your eyes as you stared at it. The wind picked up as though a vortex had opened up in the middle of the circle, both pushing you away and pulling you in.

You should have noticed that Vinculus had moved, that though he tried he was being sucked into the vortex of blinding light. You should have noticed but when you finally did it was too late. Much too late.

It was so loud, you could hear nothing but the wind rushing past your ears. The burning light made sight almost impossible and yet you could not move away. The vortex somehow freezing you to the spot. So when he shouted, you didn’t hear. When he called out to you, you didn’t hear. You didn’t see him move, but you felt as his grip tightened on your hand. Your eyes opened and though the light was blinding you, you did not care. Vinculus’ eyes were wide with terror. Vinculus was not easily scared, he was the bravest man you had ever met but he was scared now. His grip on your hand was failing as the vortex sucked him towards it. A scream erupted from you as his hand slipped from yours.

In an instant there was nothing.

The light had disappeared, the wind with it. The circle was still floating in the air above the ground, glowing faintly. The silence was deafening. With sunspots covering most of your vision you searched for your love. But he was gone. Vinculus was taken from you to a land unknown.

“Vin!” you called, as Segundus, Honeyfoot and Childermass seemed to recover from the onslaught, picking themselves up from where they had fallen. Before their eyes turned to the faintly glowing circle, whose light was beginning to fade before it disappeared in a shimmer of light.

“Vinculus!” you called again hoping beyond hope that he was only playing, that he was hiding and this was all some terrible joke.

“My love, please come out!” you tried again but there was still no sign of him, the trees rustled with a light breeze and a tear slipped down your face.

“Come back” you whispered he could not be gone. You stared around the clearing, at a loss for what to do. Vinculus was your world, your life, your everything. Your own heartbeat seemed too loud as you stared around, this wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. Your love was gone and your heart was shattered.

“Where is Vinculus?” asked Childermass. Your eyes welled, as grief was replaced with rage.

“You!” you yelled turning on Childermass, flames licking at your words.

“Your spell failed, your spell took Vinculus away. You took him away from me!” you cried pointing an accusing finger. Maybe if you hadn’t been so angry you would have noticed the flame that licked at the end of your finger, as though your very body were a source of flame.

“Miss Friday, your eyes” exclaimed Segundus, pointing at you wildly, his eyes wide with fear. Though you could not see it, you felt it. A fire was burning inside of you, stoked by the loss of your heart. Your eyes were filled with fire, your once green eyes were now covered in flames.

“Bring him back!” you screamed rushing towards Childermass.

“I do not know where he went” replied the dark-haired man, he watched you in confusion and worry.

“Bring him back now!” you demanded, you did not want to live without Vinculus by your side.

“Maybe he is wherever Mr Norrell and Mr Strange are” muttered Segundus and you let out a cry.

“I want him back” you cried, your anger slipping away into pure horror-stricken sorrow.

“Please!” you begged but Childermass said nothing, staring at you as though you had gone insane.

With a sob, you turned away and instead turned to the circle drawn into the earth. Desperately you searched for a sign, but when all you found were leaves and dried up twigs you collapsed to the ground with a wail.

“I loved him and you took him away. He was the only person who has ever love me. The only person who has ever cared!” you cried out looking around at the men watching you.

“Bring him back, you call yourself magicians so bring him back!” you screamed at them, tears streaming down your face. The three men only starred, a loss for words, nothing left to say. The fire inside was growing hotter and your hands were now covered in flame but yet you felt no pain, all you felt was despair.

Sat in the middle of the circle you cried, tears streaming down your face, nothing but sobs escaping you. You couldn’t help but think of Vinculus, how he smiled, how his hair stood on end early in the morning, how he always was so happy. How he refused to get rid of that terrible hat of his. How much you loved him. How you were to be his bride. How he was gone.

You looked down your hands, they were completely covered in flame. Your magic had set you alight. Inside you could feel an energy bubbling up, burning it’s way to the surface. Your despair turning to rage. 

A scream ripped from you, like the voice of a thousand people at once. The birds scattered as a pillar of flame shot up into the sky, like a great burning tornado with you at its core.

It reached higher and higher and then with a great crash, the very sky itself erupted into the blaze. The fire spread along the sky like a wave. Burning furiously, as though hell itself had descended upon the earth. Then as suddenly as it had begun the flames were gone. A large cloud moved across the sky, blocking out the sun. You looked up at it, utterly broken in every possible way. The rain began to fall, landing against your skin in heavy drops. The downpour was deafening and yet..

“ _The rain shall make a door for me and I shall pass through it,_ ” said a voice you knew all too well. You stared around but you could not see him, the rain poured heavier and heavier.

“I shall make a door for you and you shall pass through it,” you said reaching out with your hand. The raindrops began to gather together, moving unnaturally through the air as though being magnetized to your hand. More and more began to collect, as you watched a doorway of water appeared before your very eyes. Moving up and away from your hand so that it floated horizontally a few feet from the top your head. It glimmered moving slightly, like the wind over a still lake. You could see your own reflection looking up into it, shimmering in the slowly settling surface. Finally, the water settled, then it grew clear. You were no longer looking at a door made of water, now a pile of ruins could be seen through the doorway and within you could see movement. Suddenly a man was staring down at you, he had shaggy dark hair and an unkempt beard covered his face, his clothes were badly worn. He looked as though he were looking over the edge of a well, with you sat at the bottom.

“Mr Norrell, quickly!” cried the man and you frowned at him, could he not see you? You dared not move as another figure approached the doorway. He was shorter but no less ragged and a rather panicked look had filled his gaze.

“Well don’t just stare, go through,” said the one voice you loved most in the world. The voice that to you was more beautiful than any other sound. Vinculus appeared behind the two men and with a single shove, he pushed the two men over the side of the well and through the doorway. With a whoosh of water, the doorway was gone. You wiped the water from your eyes and stared around. Three men lay at your feet, soaked to the core like a trio of drowned rats.

“Vinculus!” you cried as the men began to detangle themselves from one another. Vinculus pulled himself away ringing out his hat as you scampered towards him.

“Hello princess” he smiled as you launched yourself at him burying your face in his hair.

“I thought I had lost you, I thought you were gone” you sobbed into him, holding more tightly than ever before.

“I would never leave you” he assured with a laugh.

“I knew you could bring me back. She will set the sky ablaze” said Vinculus and you pulled away looking at him with wide eyes.

“You knew!” you exclaimed and Vinculus shook his head.

“No idea! Just a lot of hope” he replied with a laugh and you couldn’t help but smile, your eyes welling up again.

“It’s gone,” he said pulling his shirt away to reveal that the prophecy, that had brought you together had erased itself from his chest, leaving an empty space in its wake.

“What now?” you asked searching his blue eyes but Vinculus only smiled.

“I don’t need to look at those, to know my future. My future is looking at me now” he said and you let out a sob.

“I love you” you cried as Vinculus pulled you into his arms again.

“I love you more” he replied kissing the top of your head.

You stayed like that for some time. Wrapped in his arms, sat in a muddy puddle in the middle of a clearing in the woods. Even when Childermass took the two men, whom you quickly learnt were Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell back to Starecross, you did not move. Life had not been easy for either of you, but like this wrapped in the comforts of each other’s arms, you had no cares. Your love was back and you would not let go of him so easily next time.

**The End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the story - Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you enjoyed my story. Bye Bye, from me and Vin.


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